Engraving-machine.



No. 886,898. I PATENTED MAY 5, 1908..

. R. TURNER an B. R. GORLEY;

BNGRAVING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1HE makers Pin-:ns co.. wAsHlNcroN. uA cA No. 886,898. PATBNTED MAY 5, 1908. R. TURNER. & B. R. GORLBY.

BNGRAVING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 19, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/ TNE SSE S THE NoRRls PETERS co.. wAsHmcmN, nA c,

No. 888,888.. v PAT'BNTBDMAY 5, 1808. 18. TURNER 8 B. R. GORLBY.

ENGRAVING MACHINE.

APPLIOATI-ON FILED 'JUNE 19, 1907.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'\\\\\\ K IIIIIIIIIH rue Nolmls PETERS co., wAsHnynroN, D.,c.

No. 886,898. PATENTE!) MAY 5, 1908 R. TURNER 8 B. R. GORLRY.

ENGRAVING MACHINE. APPLIoATIoN 1111.111: JURR'19, 1907.

4 slums-SHEET 4.

y A TTOHNE YS UNTED STAES FATENT FFICE.

ROBERT TURNER7 OF NEw CANAAN, CONNECTICUT, AND BENJAMIN R. CORLEY, OE NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENGRAVING-MACHINE Application filed .T une 19,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT TURNER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of New Canaan, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, and BEN- JAMIN R. CORLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident .of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Engraving-Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to plate engraving, and its object is to provide a new and imn proved engraving machine, arranged to permit of conveniently, accurately and quickly producing sunken letters, signs, numerals, characters and ornaments, and any desired combination thereof, in copper plates, steel plates and the like, and without the use of skilled labor.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the inventionis represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a front elevation of the improvement, parts being in section; Fig. 2 is a -transverse section of the same on the line 2 2- of Fig. l Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the sign-spacing device; Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same on the line 41H4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the guide for a die, parts being in section; Fig. 6 is a like view of the same showing the parts in a different position 5 Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same Fig. S is an enlarged plan view of a part of the die-carrying belt Fig. 9 is a similar view of another portion of the diecarrying belt, and Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of a part of the die-carrying belt and one of the dies in position. Fig. 1l is a plan view of a die made by the machine.

Cn a suitably constructed stand or frame A are mounted the flanged supporting wheels B, B, B2 supporting a die carrier C on which are held dies D, each of which is provided at its die face D with a raised letter, sign, numeral, character, ornament or the like,

Patented May 5, 1908.

1907. Serial No. 379,758.

and any one of the said dies D on turning the carrier C can be brought into operative position over the plate or other article E to be engraved, the said plate resting on a supporting block F held in a bed G mounted to slide transversely on a carriage H adapted to slide longitudinally on the base A of the frame A, the said carriage being controlled in its longitudinal movement by a spacing device l, un der the control of the operator, for spacing the letters, signs, numerals, characters and ornaments on each line to be engraved onthe plate E, the desired distance apart, the transverse adjustment of the plate E being by a screw rod J and nut J (see Figs. l and 2) for spacing the several lines on the plate E the desired distance apart.

The die D in operative position at the time is held in a sectional guide K, to guide the die in its up and down movement, and the top of the die is adapted to be engaged by a plunger L mounted to slide vertically in a bearing A2 forming art of the frame A. The plunger L is norma ly held in an uppermost position by a spring L, and the head L2 of the plunger' is engaged by a set screw L3 screwing in a cross bar N attached to the forward ends of a pair of transversely extending parallel arms N fulcrumed at N2 on a standard A3 of the main frame A. The arms N are actuated by eccentric trunnions C on the shaft O2 of a hand lever' C, under the control of the operator, the said shaft C2 being journaled on a supporting arm P fulcrumed at its lower end at P on the base A of the frame A.

Vhen the lever C is swung downward by the operator its eccentric trunnions C cause a downward swinging of the arms N', to force the plunger L and the die D in operative position at the time, downward for the die to sink its die face Dl (letter, sign, character, ornament or the like) into the face of the plate E, the downward movement of the lever C being limited by the set screw L3, which serves to regulate the depth the die face D enetrates into the plate E.

The c ie carrier C is preferably in the form of a belt or band of steel or other suitable flexible material capable of being bent into circular form, as plainly illustrated in Figs. l and 2, the overlapping endsof the said belt or band being removably fastened together by the use of studs C attached to one end of the belt or band and engaging key-hole slots C2 on the other end of the belt or band, as shown in Fig. 9.

On the belt or band are riveted or other'- Wise secured sockets C3 each containing a die D held in place in the socket by the split shank C4 thereof, closed in firm engagement with the die D by a ring C5 driven onto the split and tapering shank C4, as plainly indicated in Figs. 1 and 10. The several sockets C3 are in alinement with each other and are spaced suitable distances apart, and alongside each die D is etched or otherwise produced on the side of the belt or band the same letter', sign, numeral, character or ornament as the die D.

It is understood that the dies D of one die carrier areassorted to form a complete font, that is, each set of dies on the die carrier contains, for instance, the capital and small letters of the alphabet, numerals from Zero to 9, punctuation marks and other signs and characters usually required in engraving plates for various pur oses.

Now it is evi ent .that a number of die carriers having different sets of dies can be interchangeably used on the machine, to permit of engraving plates with letters, characters, numerals and signs of different forms and shapes as required.

Each of the die carriers is provided with an odd die D2 (see Fig. 8) held in a socket C6 similar to the socket C3 but removably connected with the belt or band, the said socket being for this purpose provided. at its sides with transversely extending guideways or grooves C7 engaging the side walls of a keyhole slot C8 formed in the belt or band between the socket C3 of a pair of adjacent regular dies, as plainly indicated in Fig. 8. By this arrangement any desired odd die may be slipped in position on the carrier C, for use whenever desired.

The sup orting wheels B, B and B2 are ianged an arranged in a circle, to properly accommodate the circular die carrier C, the wheel B being preferably arranged on the top, and the wheels Band B2 at the sides, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The wheel B is preferably ournaled on an arm A4 fulcrumed at A5 on the stand or frame A, to ermit of swinging the arm AA1 upwardly and inwardly, as plainly indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to allow of conveniently placing the die carrier C in position on the other two wheels B and B2, and then swinging the arm A4 back into a horizontal position, to engage the die carrier C, with a view to hold the same properly in position. The arm A4 is locked in active position by a pin A6, as indicated in Fig.

1, this pin A(i being withdrawn to permit of swinging the arm A4 upwardly and inwardly when exchanging die carriers.

The block F rests in the grooved top of the bed G, and the plate E with the block F is clamped in place by a longitudially extending clamping bar F held on screw rods F2 screwing transversely in the front of the bed G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus by screwing up the screw rods F2, the block F and with it the plate E are securely clamped in position on the bed G during the engraving operation.

The screw rod J previously mentioned and employed for shifting the bed G transversely, is mounted to turn on the front of the bed G and screws in the nut J secured to the carriage H, as illustrated in Fig. 2, so that when the operator applies a crank arm J2 on the outer square end of the screw rod J and turns the crank arm, then the screw rod J screws in the nut J, thus moving the bed G rearwardly or forwardly according to the direction in which the crank arm J2 is turned. By the arrangement described the succeeding lines to be engraved on the plate E are spacedapart the desired distance.

The spacing device I for shifting the carriage H, the bed G, block F and plate E longitudinally is arranged as follows, special reference being had to Figs. 1, 3 and 4: A screw rod I is mounted to turn in one end of the carriage H (see Fig. 1) and the said screw rod I" is adapted to be engaged by the sections I2 and I3 of a nut (see Fig. 4), and the said nut sections I2 and I3 are mounted to slide transversely in suitable bearings Q attached to longitudinally extending bars Q attached to or forming part of the base A of the main frame A. The nut sections I2 and I3 are provided on top with pins I4, I5 extending into elongated slots R formed in a lever R under the control of the operator, and fulcrumed at R2 on a bracket Q2 attached to the guideways Now when the several parts are in the position illustrated in the drawings then the nut sections I2 and I3 are in engagement with the screw rod I, and when the latter is turned then the carriage H and the parts carried thereby are shifted longitudinally from the left to the right, the screw rod Il being turned correspondingly by the mechanism presently to be described in detail. When it is desired to move the carriage II quickly from the right to the left, the operator swings the lever R to the right into an open position, so as to move the nut sections I2, I3 out of engagement with the screw rod I, to allow of shifting the carriage H from the right to the left by hand, to bring the carriage into a starting position. A pinion S is mounted to turn with and to slide lengthwise on the screw rod I and this pinion S is held against longitudinal movement on the guideway Q. The pinion S is in mesh with a gear wheel S mounted to turn loosely on a shaft S2 journaled on the guideway Q, and on this shaft S2 is mounted to swing loosely a hand lever S3 under the control of the operator and provided with a sliding pawl S4 pressed on by a spring S5 and adapted to engage the teeth of l ing their vertical axes coinciding and a guide the gear wheel S. The swinging movement .of the hand lever S3 is limited between the stop pins T and T, of which the stop pin T is secured on the guideway Q, and the stop pin T projects from the face of a notched wheel T2 mounted to rotate loosely on the shaft S2. The notched wheel T2 is adapted to be engaged at one of its notches by a lug T3 projecting from a hand lever T4 fulcrumed on the guideway Q and pressed on by a spring T5 for holding the lug T3 normally in engagement with one of the notches on the wheel T2.

Now when the operator swings the handleverT4 rearwardly the lug T3 moves out of engagement with the corresponding notch on the wheel T2, so that the operator can turn the wheel T2, to bring the stop pin T nearer to or farther from the other stop pin T, and when the wheel T2 has been moved to the desired position, then the operator releases the hand lever T4 to rengage the lug T3 with a corresponding notch on the wheel T2, to lock the latter against turning. N ow by the arrangement described, the swinging movement of the hand lever S3 is limited between the stop pins T and T, and the distance between the stop pins can be varied to increase or decrease the stroke of the hand lever S3. Now when it is desired to turn the screw rod I with a view to shift the carriage H from the left'to the right, the distance between two letters, characters, ornaments, signs or the like to be engraved on the plate E, then the operator simply swings the lever S3 rearwardly from its position of rest on the stop pin T until the lever S3 strikes the other stop pin T. Now during this turning movement the pawl S4 glides over the teeth of the gear wheel S. When the operator returns the hand lever S3 from the stop pin T to the stop pin T then the pawl S4 carries the gear wheel S along, and in doing so the latter rotates the pinion S, whereby the screw rod I is turned, and the latter screwing in the closed nut sections l2, I3 travels vlongitudinally so that the carriage H and the parts supported thereon are moved from the left to the right. Now it is evident that for letters, signs, numerals, ornaments and the like of different width, the wheel T2 is adjusted correspondingly to change the distance between the stop pins T, T, so that the movement given to the hand lever S3 is varied and consequently the screw rod I is turned more or less to shiftthe carriage H the desired distance' for properly spacing succeeding letters, numerals, signs, or ornaments in the same line on the plate E.

The guide K for guiding the die D in active position at the time, is arranged as follows, reference being had to Figs. l, 2, 5, 6 and 7: The guide K consists essentially of notched wheels K K disposed horizontally-and havmember K2 made approximately U4 shape and adapted to be moved toward or from the notched wheels K, K. The notched wheels K, K are journaled on a bracket K3 secured to the frame A, and the peripheries of the said wheels K, K are provided with sets of registering notches K4, each set being different in sha e from the neXt following one, to accommo ate dies of different cross sections, as will be readily understood by comparison of Figs. 5 and 6. The wheels K, K are also provided with sets of locking notches K5 arranged between adjacent sets of die notches K4, and the said locking notches K5 are adapted to be engaged bylocking arms U to hold the wheels K, K against turning. The locking arms U are fulcrumed on the bracket K3 and are pressed on in an outward direction by a spring U secured at its middle to the bracket K3 (see Fig. 5), and the said locking arms U are normally held in engagement with the locking notches K5 by arms U2 attached to a shaft U3 journaled in the bracket K3. The shaft U3 is rovided with a handle U4 under the contro of the operator, for turning the shaft U3, with a view to swing the arms U2 in or out of engagement with the locking arms U. Thus when the handle U4 is swung forward, the arms U2 are moved out of engagement with the locking arms U to allow the spring U to swing the locking arms U outwardly to disengage the notched wheels K, K, thus allowing the operator to turn the said notched wheels K, K, to bring a desired set of die notches K4 to the front, for engagement by a correspondingly shaped die D. When this has been done the handle U4 is swung back to its former position, so that the arms U2 engage the locking arms U and swing the same inward against the tension of the spring U and into engagement with the locking`notches K5, to lock the wheels K, K in the adjusted position. The guide member K2 is fulcrumed on the lower end of an arm V fulcrumed at its upper end on the bearing A2 previously mentioned, and the arm V is engaged at its front face by a cam lever V having its pivot V2 removably held on the bearing A2. A spring V3 on the arm V engages the bearing A2 as well as the member K2 (see Fig. 2), so that when the cam lever V is swung downward into a closed position then the member K2 is moved inward, to engage the front face of the die D held in the set of front registering notches K4 of the wheels K, K.

By having the spring V3, the arm V as well as the member 'K2 are yieldingly mounted to allow a ready sliding of the die D then in active position, and by permitting unlocking of the arm V and forward swinging thereof, the die D is readily released to allow of turning or shifting the die carrier C, to bring a desired die D into active position in the front notches K4 of the wheels K, K to be subsequently engaged by the member K2 on again closing the cam lever V, as previously explained.

Now when a die D is in position in the guide K it is in vertical alinement with the plunger L and its lower or die face D is directly above the plate E, and when the operator now swings the hand lever O downward then the eccentric trunnions O impart a downward swinging motion to the arms N to move the plunger L downward into engagement with the die D held in the guide K, so that the die D, on further movement downward of the hand lever C, is moved likewise downward and with its die face D in engagement with the face of the plate E, to cut into the said face and thus produce the sunken letter, numeral, character, sign, ornament or the like in the plate E corresponding to the face D.

It is understood that when thel die D is forced downward as described, the die carrier C owing to its flexible nature yields at the bottom with the die, and when the operator subsequently swings the handle O upward and the plunger L is raised by itsspring L, then the die D returns to its normal position owing to the return of the flexible carrier C to normal position.

After the desired die has been forced into engagement with the plate E and released, as previously described, and it is desired to form another sunken letter, numeral, sign, character or ornament in the plate E adjacent to the previously made character, the operator first swings the cam lever V upward to release the die in the guide K and to permit turning of the carrier C until the next desired die is in operative position in the wheels K, K of the guide K. When this has been done the ,hand lever V is again swung downward, to move the guide member K2 in engagement with the front of the die, and then the operator gives a full stroke to the hand lever S3 to shift the carriage H from the left to the right, after which the lever O is brought down, as previously described, to cause the plunger L to force the dieD downward for forming another sunken letter, numeral, character, sign, ornament or the like in the late E.

The above describe( operation is repeated as often as necessary, to form a desired line of sunken letters in the plate E, and when it is desired to form another line of sunken letters in the plate E, the operator turns the screw rod J by the use of the handle J2, to shift the bed G, block F and plate E transversely the desired distance between the two lines of sunken letters. The above described operation is then repeated for forming sunken letters in the second line.

When it 'is desired to shift the carriage H quickly to starting position after a line of sunken letters is finished, it is only necessary for the operator to swing the lever R to the ver R is swung back to its normal position to close the nut sections I2, I3 onto the screw rod I. The bed G is then shifted, as previously explained, in a transverse direction by the operator turning the crank arm J2.

When it is desired to exchange one die carrier for another, the ivot V2 is withdrawn to permit removal of t e cam lever V, so that the arm V and with it the guide member K2 can be swung upward, to allow convenient removal. of the die carrier C and replacing it by another one, after which the arm V is swung downward back to active position and the cam lever V and pivotpin V2 are replaced.

It is understood that it is very essential that the dies D be brought successively into the same position in the guide K, to insure proper alinement of the letters or other characters in a line, and it is also essential that the dies be properly guided in their up and down movement during the engraving operation.

By the arrangement described a large number of sunken letters can be readily produced on plates or like articles in a comparatively short time and with the utmost accuracy and without the use of skilled labor.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. An engraving machine, comprising a die carrier provided with a plurality of sockets, each provided with a s lit sh ank, dies in the sockets, a ring encirc ing each of the sockets for clamping the split portion on the die, means whereby the carrier may be shifted to bring any one of the dies into operative position, and means for forcing the die in operative position at the time into engagement with the plate to be engraved.

2. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier provided with a plurality of sockets, each of said sockets having a split shank, a die in each of the sockets, a ring encircling the split shank for clamping said shank on the die, guiding means for receiving and guiding one of the dies during the engraving operation, and means for forcing the die held in the guiding means at the time into engagement with the plate to be engraved.

3. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier composed of an endless iiexible band, a plurality of sockets in connection with the band, dies in the sockets, means whereby the band may be shifted to bring any of the dies into operative position, a guide for receiving the die in operative position, and a plunger for engaging the die in the guide to force the same into contact with the plate tov be engraved.

4. In an engraving machine, a die carrier comprising an endless flexible band arranged in a circle, a plurality ci sockets in connection With the band, and a die mounted in each oi the sockets.

5. An engraving machine rovided with a die carrier comprising a flexi le belt, and die holders attached tothe said belt and spaced apart, each die holder being adapted to receive and hold a die, each die holder having locking means for locking the die rigidly in place in the holder.

6. An engraving machine provided With a die carrier comprising a belt of flexible material, sockets held on the said belt and spaced apart, each socket having a split shank and being adapted to receive a die, and a closing ring for the said -shank to close the members onto the said die to lock the latter in place in the socket.

7. An engraving machine provided With a die carrier comprising a flexible belt, a plurality of fixed sockets rigidly attached to the said belt and each being adapted to carry a die, and a removable socket removably held on the said belt and adapted to carry an odd die.

S. A device of the class described, comprising a frame, flanged supporting Wheels journaled thereon, an endless carrier supported on the Wheels, a plurality of radially movable dies supported by the carrier, a carriage, means for moving the carriage transversely oi' the carrier, means'for moving the carriage by intermittent steps in the direction o travel of the carrier, said carriage being provided with a bed for supporting the plate to be engraved, a plunger mounted for sliding movement in the frame for engaging the die in operative position, means for depressing the plunger, and a guide for the die, said guide comprising spaced Wheels provided With notches Jfor receiving the die, and means for retaining the die in the notches.

9. A device oi the class described, comg prising a revolubly su ported endless die carrier, a plurality or racially movable dies supported by the carrier, a carriage Jfor supporting the Work, means for moving the carriage transversely of the carrier, means Jfor moving the carriage by intermittent steps in the direction of travel of the carrier, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position, to force it into engagement with the Work, and a guide Jfor the die, said guide comprising spaced Wheels provided With notches for receiving the die, and means for retaining the die in the notches.

10. An engraving machine comprising a bed Jfor the plate to be engraved to rest on, a die carrier carrying a plurality of spaced and assorted dies and ada ted to be shifted to bring any one of the t ies in operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time to force the die into engagement With the said plate, a guide Jfor the die, said guide comprising spaced Wheels provided With peripheral notches for receiving the die, means for retaining the die in the notches, and a linespacing device 'for the said bed, to shift the latter transversely a distance between tWo lines to be engraved on the plate.

11. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to be engraved to rest on, a die carrier carrying a plurality oi spaced and assorted dies and adapted to be shifted to bring any one of the dies in operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time, to force the die into engagement With the said plate, a lever for imparting movement to the said plunger in one direction, a spring for returning the said plunger and a guide for the die, said guide comprising spaced Wheels having peripheral notches for receiving the die, and means engaging the die for retaining it in the notches.

12. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to be engraved to rest on, sup orting Wheels arranged in a circle, an end ess flexible belt carrying a plurality of spaced dies and supported on the said Wheels to permit of shifting the belt to bring any one of the said dies into operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time to force the die in contact With the plate, and a guide for receiving and guiding the die in o erative position at the time, the said guide eing made in sections to permit of opening the guide for the admission and removal of a die.

13. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to'be engraved to rest on, supporting Wheels arranged in a circle, an endless ilexible belt carrying a plurality of spaced dies and supported on the said Wheels, to permit of shifting the belt to bring any one of the said dies into operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time to force the die in contact With the plate, and a guide for receiving and guiding the die in operative position at the time, the said guide being made in sections to permit of opening the guide for the admission and removal of a die, one of the guide sections being formed of notched Wheels and the other guide section being movable toward and Jfrom the said Wheels.

14. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to be engraved to rest on, supporting Wheels arranged in a circle, an endless ilexible belt carrying a plurality of spaced dies and supported on the said Wheels, to permit of shifting the belt to bring any one of the said dies into operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time, to force the die in contact with the plate, a guide for receiving and guiding the die in operative position at the time, the said guide being made in sections to permit of opening the guide for the admission and removal of a die, one oi the guide sections being formed of notched wheels and the other guide section being movable toward and from the said wheels, a lever on which the said movable guide section is hung, and a cam lever vfor actuating the said lever.

15. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to be engraved to rest on, a die carrier carrying a pluralityT of spaced and assorted dies and adapted to be shifted to bring any one of the dies in operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time, to force the die into engagement with the said plate7 a lever for imparting movement to the said plunger in one direction, a spring for returning the said plunger, and an adjusting device for adjusting the position of the said plunger.

16. An engraving machine comprising a bed for the plate to be engraved to rest on, a die carrier carrying a plurality of spaced and assorted dies and adapted to be shifted to bring any one of the dies in operative position over the said plate, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position at the time, to force the die into engagement with the said plate, and a sign-spacing device for the said bed, to shift the latter longitudinally in thel direction of the line to be engraved lon the plate, the said sign-spacing device having adjustable means to vary the throw ofthe said sign-spacing device.

17. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier carrying a plurality of dies and capable of being shifted to bring any one of the dies into operative position over the plate to be engraved, means for moving the die in operative position at the time into engagement with the plate, a bed for supporting the said plate, a carriage mounted to slide longitudinally and on which the said bed is mounted to slide transversely, a longitudinally extending screw rod mounted to turn in the said carriage, a iixed nut engaging the said screw rod, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said screw rod, a gear wheel in mesh with the said pinion, and a hand lever carrying a pawl engaging the said gear wheel to turn the latter.

18. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier carrying a plurality of dies and capable of being shifted to bring any one of the dies into operative position over the plate to be engraved, means for moving the die in operative position at the time into engagement with the plate, a bed for supporting the said plate, a carriage mounted to slide longitudinally and on which the said bed is mounted to slide transversely, a longitudinally .extending sciew rod mounted to turn on the said carriage, a fixed nut engaging the said screw rod, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said screw rod, a gear'wheel in mesh with the said pinion, a hand lever carrying a pawl engaging the said gear wheel to turn the latter, andmanually controlled means for limiting the swinging motion of the said hand lever.

19. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier carrying a plurality of dies and capable of being shifted 'to bring any one of the dies into operative position over the plate to be engraved, means for moving the die in operative position at the time into engagement with the plate, a bed for supporting the said plate, a carriage mounted to slide longitudinally and on which the said bed is mounted to slide transversely, a longitudinally extending screw rod mounted to turn in the said carriage, a fixed nut engaging the said screw rod, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said screw rod, gear wheel in mesh with the said pinion, a lever carrying a pawl engaging the said gear wheel to turn the latter, and stops for limiting the swinging motion of the said hand lever, one of the stops being fixed and the other adjustable.

20. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier carrying a plurality of dies capable of being shifted to bring any one of the dies into operative position over the plate to be engraved, means for moving the die in operative position at the time into engagement Awith the plate, a bed Jfor supporting the said plate, a carriage mounted to slide longitudinally and on which the said bed is mounted to slide transversely, a longitudinally extending screw rod mounted to turn in the said carriage, a iixed nut engaging the said screw rod and made in sections adapted to be opened and closed, a pinion mounted to turn with and to slide on the said screw rod, a gear wheel in mesh with the said pinion, and a hand lever carrying a pawl engaging the said gear wheel to turn the latter.

21. A device of the class described, comprising a die carrier provided with a plurality of dies, a plunger for engaging the die in operative position, means for operating the plunger, and a guide for the die, said guide comprising spaced wheels provided with peripheral notches for receiving the die, and means for retaining the die in the notches.

22, An engraving' machine, comprising a die carrier consisting of a flexible band, dies supported by the band, guiding means for receiving and guiding the dies during the engraving operation, a plunger for forcing the die into engagement with the plate to be engraved, and means whereby said dies may yield in the guiding means when engaged by the plunger.

23. An engraving machine, comprising a flexible die carrier, dies supported by the carrier, means whereby to shift the carrier to bring any one of the dies into operative position, means for receiving and guiding the die in operative position during the engraving operation, a plunger for operating the die, and means permitting the dies to yield in the guiding means when engaged by the plunger.

24. An engraving machine comprising a die carrier composed of an endless flexible band, a plurality of sockets in connection with the band7 dies in the sockets, means whereby the band may be shifted to bring any one of the dies into operative position, a

guide for receiving the die in operative position, a plunger for engaging the die in the guide to Jforce the same into contact with the plate to be engraved7 and means for permit- 15 ting the die to yield in the guiding means.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT TURNER. BENJAMIN R. CORLEY. Vitnesses:

THEO. Gr. HosTER, EVERARD B. MARSHALL. 

